Chapter 4

Maya and I met at a bar and drank until we were plastered.

"Aurora, do you know what that jerk Noah said?

"He said Charlotte just returned to the country and wanted him to introduce her to some opportunities, that's why he met her.

"But what about me? I used to be a rising star in the entertainment industry, my talent wasn't any less than Charlotte Hayes'.

"But what did I get from marrying him? Restrictions that kept me out of the public eye, and a man whose heart wasn't truly mine."

I mumbled, "But you got the money..."

Maya lived a lavish lifestyle, thankfully marrying into the Montgomery family, whose vast wealth could sustain her spending.

At that, her hazy eyes lit up. She grabbed my hand, her voice as firm as if she were taking an oath:

"Exactly! I have money! The Montgomeries only have two sons. If we take half of their fortune, what kind of man couldn't we find?"

Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and asked me:

"You and Liam didn't sign any prenuptial agreement, did you?"

Actually, we did.

Before the wedding, with a lawyer present, Liam pulled out an agreement and asked me to sign it.

At the time, I was so utterly smitten by his face and body that I signed it without even a glance.

Maya gasped, exclaiming, "That's it, we're done for! Then we can only get a quarter!"

I asked her, "How much is a quarter?"

She counted on her fingers: "Enough for us to hire ten premium male escorts every day, never the same ones, until we drop dead."

I cheered, "Yay!"

We happily decided to officially divorce as soon as the lawyer drafted the divorce papers.

While waiting for the agreement, it happened to be our ex-mother-in-law's birthday.

Necessary appearances had to be maintained, so we arrived hand-in-hand, dressed to the nines, leaving our two husbands standing bewildered.

In previous years, we would each have been linked arm-in-arm with our respective husbands, accompanying them through the obligatory social pleasantries.

That night, they were left on their own. At first, Maya and I thought Evelyn was deliberately trying to teach us, her not-so-satisfactory daughters-in-law, a lesson.

But it turned out she wasn't; she genuinely adored Charlotte Hayes.

We'd heard Evelyn had always wanted a daughter, but ended up with two boys. And the Hayes family next door was always busy, so the princess-like Charlotte was practically raised by Evelyn herself.

Maya couldn't stand it and pulled me, ready to leave.

But Charlotte glanced over, seemingly casually, and asked, "I haven't really met my two sisters-in-law. Auntie Evelyn, won't you introduce me?"

Well, that was that. No leaving now.

She greeted us sweetly, complimenting Maya on her beauty.

That was truly unnecessary; Maya was stunning already. If she were still in the entertainment industry, where would Charlotte even stand?

When it came to me, Charlotte looked me up and down and said I seemed to have a good appetite.

...Had I not just gained seven or eight pounds, making me look a bit plump next to Maya?

Did she really have to be so catty?

I swallowed my retort, but Maya wasn't about to let it slide.

"It's my first time meeting you, little sister, and your气质 is indeed unique, like a lotus blossoming from mud.

"Paired with that white dress, it just makes you look even more like a white lotus flower, doesn't it?"

Evelyn didn't understand, nodding approvingly the whole time.

Charlotte's face cycled through red and green, like a painter's palette.

She didn't engage, though, just walked straight to stand between the two brothers and started chatting.

What a picture of harmony.

Maya and I exchanged a look, our resolve to divorce even firmer.

Many of Noah's investors were at the banquet.

Charlotte wasn't about to miss this opportunity, coyly trailing behind him, networking.

Maya's eyes scanned the room, and she whispered to me:

"That Director Brooks, he wanted me to star in his movie, but I turned him down.

"And Mr. Davies, he offered to open an agency for me. Even after I left the industry, he'd still send me emails, begging me to make a comeback.

"It's infuriating, she's snatching up all the benefits. I should have stayed in the entertainment industry."

She looked like she was about to explode.

The final fuse was Charlotte nonchalantly brushing a stray eyelash from Noah's face, completely ignoring everyone else.

The pent-up anger from the entire evening finally erupted. Maya found an opportunity, her stiletto heel stomping hard on the hem of Charlotte's dress.

Charlotte yelped, and looking down, a huge tear had ripped through her gown.

While she wasn't exposed, having a torn dress at such an event was truly embarrassing.

Noah rushed over, pulling Maya away, his voice raised several decibels:

"Maya! What are you doing? Why are you bothering her?"

Liam Montgomery also walked over to me and said:

"Can you lend her a dress?"

This was the first time either of them had spoken to us all evening.

I smiled. "Sure, they're all your purchases anyway, you decide."

He looked at me with an unreadable expression, then waved his hand, telling the housekeeper to take Charlotte upstairs to change.

Maya grabbed me, and we fled the Montgomery mansion.

We jumped into Noah's red sports car, speeding down the road at seventy-five miles per hour.